WalletHub has released a new ranking of the most (and least) pet-friendly cities in the United States, and their methodology is pretty interesting. They took into account 19 data points including the number of pet businesses per capita, the minimum pet care provider cost per visit, average veterinary care cost, and the number of veterinarians per capita.
The analysis revealed that the most pet friendly city was Orlando, Florida. Orlando was followed by #2 Birmingham, AL; #3 Tampa, FL; #4 Lexington, KY; #5 Scottsdale, AZ; #6 Reno, NV; #7 Colorado Springs, CO; #8 Cincinnati, OH; #9 Las Vegas, NV; and #10 St. Louis, MO.
The least pet friendly city was New York City. The big apple was followed by #2 Santa Ana, CA; #3 Boston, MA; #4 Detroit, MI; #5 Philadelphia, PA; #6 Newark, NJ; #7 Anaheim, CA; #8 Los Angeles, CA; #9 Chicago, IL; and #10 Jersey City, NJ.
Orlando boasted both the highest number of pet businesses per 100,000 residents (at 172.25), as well as the highest number of veterinarians per 100,000 residents (at 65.6). Comparatively, the lowest ranked city in these two categories, Newark NJ, had the lowest number of pet businesses per 100,000 residents (8.61) and veterinarians per 100,000 residents (0.7). New York City was seriously affected by many factors, including the very high cost of veterinary care ($86.46 on average per visit), as opposed to the lowest cost of veterinary care which was found in Stockton, CA ($32.92 per visit).
This survey can be used as a tool to help animal career professionals identify potentially underserved areas that might have a strong need for pet service businesses or veterinary services, though additional research would certainly be necessary to make an educated business decision.
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